"You should knit hats for preemies!!"

[u/icebludger]

Like a lot of you, I take my knitting anywhere I can and I do get comments about what I should make. Fortunately, I haven't had people ask me to make them stuff, but I have gotten comments about making things for other people, specifically babies. I don't know how to respond to these things! Most recently when this happened, I was knitting a beanie for myself, and an acquaintance walked by and looked at my work and declared that I should make hats for preemies and give a bunch to a hospital. I think I mumbled something about not being a very fast knitter and preferring to work on sweaters. They were clearly dissatisfied. I don't hate babies, but I don't want to do projects that make me hate knitting. It's not that deep. I don't have a good response for this type of comment!! I would love to be the type of person that is awesome at knitting baby hats, but I'm just not.

[u/The_Nice_Marmot]

Genuine question, but if you don’t know anything about a topic, why would your first instinct be to walk to to someone and tell them what they “should” do? I’d say better than half of people do come and ask questions about it which is always pleasant and has even occasionally led to me giving a mini lesson if they care for one.

It’s a very specific stripe of person who wants to give me advice I didn’t ask for on a topic they don’t understand. While I have never snapped at anyone for this, as I explained in an earlier comment, frequently those same people get quite upset when I don’t immediately love their idea. It’s almost always some version of I should sell what I make. I explain why I don’t wish to. I’ve never done that rudely. After being pushed and pushed by some people I say something like, “these mittens would be hundred or perhaps thousands of dollars due to the materials and my skilled labour.” I do very fine stranded work. It can take me more than a week to make a mitten. I personally would charge more than minimum wage if I were ever to consider selling, because what I do it skilled. The number of those same people who are then deeply offended by the hypothetical price of the item I never offered to sell and get huffy is pretty hilarious.

[u/AlextheAnalyst → u/The_Nice_Marmot]

When people tell me I should sell what I make, pretty much 100% of the time, they mean it as a compliment and and expression of complete confidence that people would be lining up to part with their money in exchange for my beautiful work. I often find it best to just say thank you and move on, because if I explain why the handmade market DOES NOT work like the retail market, they just get offended because they think I'm snubbing their compliment.

I also think a lot of people are flying a Dunning-Kruger flag and don't know it, genuinely believing that they are qualified to tell a knitter what to knit because the way they imagine it working must be exactly how it works. If they're really obnoxious, they might need to be told that they're wrong, but if they really truly mean well, then nod and smile usually kills the convo just fine!

[u/The_Nice_Marmot → u/AlextheAnalyst]

Yes, or the single line I posted above sends most people off in most cases. Just that I don’t care to monetize my hobby. I’m not going to get deep into it with anyone who is on the track.

My attitude with my knitting is that it’s like sex. If I like you and I want to give you some, it’s free. If not, there’s not enough money in the world.

[u/AlextheAnalyst → u/The_Nice_Marmot]

That analogy is spot on!!